Radiological apparatus wherein the x-ray source is mounted for rotational and straight-line movement



Sheet of 3 June 1969 J. 1.. GARCIA OLLER RADIOLOGIGAL APPARATUS WHEREINTHE X"RAY SOURCE IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATIONAL AND STRAIGHT-LINE MOVEMENTFlled July 22 1966 INVENTOR Jose Lfimzcu; OLLE-R.

ATTORNEYS June 1969 J. GARCIA OLLER 3,4 9,569

RADIOLOGICAL APPARATUS WHEREIN THE X'RAY SOURCE IS MOUNTED FORROTATION/XL AND STRAIGHT-LINE MOVEMENT Flled July 22 1966 Sheet 2 of 3INVENT OR BY 0D Y); 003 m wwuLQu LI-LY) wefi.

ATTORNEYS Sheet 3 June 10, 1969 J. L. GARCIA OLLER If/EDIOLOGICAI;AIF'ARATUS WUI Z IHHIN THE X-RAY SOURCE IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATIONAL ANDSTRAIGHT-LINE MOVEMENT fil'cl JuJy F7. 1966 INVENTOR Jcs E LGmzca AOLLEE.

BY W asou Cwwwu J ATTORNEYS United States Patent RADIOLOGICAL APPARATUSWHEREIN THE X-RAY SOURCE IS MOUNTED FOR ROTA- TIONAL AND STRAIGHT-LINEMOVEMENT Jos L. Garcia Oller, 3402 Bienville St.,

New Orleans, La. 70119 Filed July 22, 1966, Ser. No. 567,155 Int. Cl.H01j 37/20, /48; G01n 23/00 U.S. Cl. 250-50 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An apparatus for diagnosing a patient including a supportmeans, rotatable means mounted on the support means, patient supportmeans mounted on the rotatable means, carrier means pivotally mounted onthe rotatable means for pivotal movement in the plane of rotation of therotatable means, the carrier means being movable along a line of travelintersecting a line passing through the pivotal connection of thecarrier means and the rotatable means, the lines lying in the plane ofrotation of the rotatable means, a radiant energy source mounted on thecarrier means and means for locking the carrier means in preselectedpositions along the line of travel at preselected angles.

This invention relates to an apparatus for diagnosing a patient, andmore particularly to an apparatus for making an X-ray or fluoroscopicexamination of a patient either while maintaining the patient in apreselected position and attitude, or maintaining the patient in apreselected position and moving him through a seqeuence of attitudes.

In the examination and diagnosis of disesases and injuries of thenervous system with X-ray and fluoroscopy, requiring visualization intothe various parts of the body including the head, the neck and theentire spine, it is the general practice to inject a contrast mediumsuch as an oxygen or liquid radiopaque substance into the nervous systemof the patient intended to be examined. After the substance has beeninjected into the body of the patient and the patient is placed in aselected position, the patients body is examined by X-ray or fluoroscopeeither while maintained in a preselected attitude or moving the bodythrough a sequence of attitudes to view the behavior of the injectedsubstance. In the prior art there has been developed various apparatusfor mounting the patient and the X-ray or fluoroscopic equipment so thatthe entire apparatus can be moved as a unit, while making theexamination of the patient. It has been found, however, that many ofsuch devices are not entirely satisfactory in enabling the rapidassembly of the components and examination of the patient.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide animproved apparatus for diagnosing a patient.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus formaking an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patient.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor making an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patient in whichthe assembly of the components and the examination of the patient can beaccomplished rapidly.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for making an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patienteither while the patient is maintained in a preselected position andattitude, or moving the patient in a preselected position through asequence of attitudes.

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Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatns formaking X-ray or fluoroscopic examinations of any part of the patientsbody.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor making an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patient whileundergoing a surgical operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for making an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patientduring a surgical operation on the patient, in which the radiant energysource of the apparatus can easily be brought into and removed from thevicinity of the operation, to provide rapid and convenient access of thesurgeon to the patient.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus formaking an X-ray or fluoroscopic examination of a patient, which iscompanatively simple in construction, easy to operate and inexpensive tomanufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent to those persons skilled in the art, from the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the embodiment shown inFIGURE 1, illustrating the components thereof in exploded relation;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 44 inFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 inFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIGURE 6; and

*FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 88 in'FIGURE 1.

Briefly described, the present invention relates to an apparatus fordiagnosing a patient, generally comprising a support means, rotatablemeans mounted on the support means, patient support means mounted on therotatable means, carrier means mounted on the rotatable means forpivotal movement in the plane of rotation of the rotatable means, thecarrier means being movable along a line including the pivotalconnection therewith with the rotatable means lying in the plane ofrotation of the rotatable means, a radiant energy source mounted on thecarrier means and means for locking the carrier means in preselectedpositions along the line of travel at preselected angles.

According to a more specific embodiment of the invention, there isprovided an apparatus including a support means, a circular frame membermounted on the support means for rotation substantially in a verticalplane and a patient support means mounted on the frame member. Theembodiment also includes hanger means mounted on the frame member forpivotal movement in the plane of rotation of the frame member, a carriermember pivotally mounted on the hanger means being movable in the planeof rotation of the frame member along an arcuate line of travel,including the pivotal connection thereof with the hanger means and meansfor locking the carrier member to the hanger means in selected positionsalong the arcuate line of travel. Mounted on the carrier means is aradiant energy source which is movable along an arcuate line of traveldisposed substantially parallel to the arcuate line of travel of thecarrier means. The radiant energy source is mounted so that it faces thepatient support means. Linking means also are provided interconnectingthe carrier member and the frame member. The linking means iscollapsible and has one end thereof pivotally connected to the framemember and the opposite end thereof pivotally connected to the carriermember.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of theinvention. This embodiment generally includes a support assembly 10, arotatable frame assembly 11 mounted on the support assembly, a patientsupport assembly 12 mounted on the frame assembly, a carrier assembly13, also mounted on the frame assembly, and a radiant energy sourcedevice 14 mounted on the carrier assembly. The support assembly includesa frame member 15 which is supported on a plurality of wheel units 16.Journaled on the forward end of the frame member 15 is a drive rollermember 17, having a transversely disposed axis. Mounted adjacent theroller member 17 is an upper idler roller 18 mounted on brackets 19 anda lower idler roller 20 disposed adjacent the roller member 17. Alsoprovided on the rearward end of the frame member are upper idler roller21 and lower idler roller member 22. The frame assembly 11 comprises apair of circular frame members 23 and 24 which are laterally spaced. Theframe members are maintained in parallel spaced relation by means of aplurality of rigid cross members 25. The frame members 23 and 24 aresupported on the frame assembly so that they pass between rollers 18 and20, and 21 and 22, resting on rollers 20 and 22. The frame members 23and 24 also engage the drive roller 17, so that when roller member 17 isdriven, the frame assembly 11 will be rotated about its axis insubstantially a vertical plane. Any type of motor with suitable speedcontrols can be used for operating the drive roller 17 to rotate theframe assembly 11. It is preferred that the drive mechanism and thecontrols therefor be adequate to conveniently start and stop therotation of the frame assembly 11, and to rotate the assembly at variousspeeds. It also is contemplated that the frame assembly 11 could berotated manually.

The patient support assembly 12 can be of any convenient type whichpermits the patients to be supported comfortably in various positions.The assembly should be adapted to position the patient in prone andsupine positions or while the body is in a sitting or intermediateposition. The assembly as illustrated in the drawings includes a frameassembly rigidly secured to the frame assembly 11, including framemembers 26, 27 and 28. A seat rest member 29, a lower leg rest member 30and a back rest member 31 are mounted on the frame member and hingedlyconnected together so that they can be positioned relative to each otherto support the patient in the various positions, as previouslymentioned. The upper end of the back rest member 31 is provided with apost member 32 on which the sensitive plate holder can be mounted invarious positions. It also is contemplated that other means will beprovided on the patient support means for supporting suitable plateholders for photographing the various desired regions of the patientsbody.

The carrier assembly 13 is best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. Theassembly includes a pair of hanger elements 33 and 34, having the upperends thereof pivotally mounted on a cross piece member 35. The hangermembers 33 and 34 are pivotally connected to the cross piece member 35for movement in planes parallel to the plane of rotation of the frameassembly 11. Mounted on the hanger members 33 and 34 are a pair ofcarrier side frame members 36 and 37. The side frame members areelongated and substantially arcuate in shape. The frame members 36 and37 are pivotally connected to the hanger members 33 and 34 for pivotalmovement in planes substantially parallel to the plane of rotation ofthe frame assembly 11. The members 36 and 37 also are maintained inparallel spaced relation by means of a cross piece member 38 rigidlysecured to the upper ends of the members by means of suitable screws 39and a rod member 40 rigidly secured and extending through the lower endsof the members. The lower ends of the side frame members are connectedto a rigid cross member 41 by means of spaced linking members 42 and 43.

The construction of the hanger member 33 is substantially identical tothe construction of the hanger member 34. Similarly, the construction ofthe carrier side frame member 36 is substantially identical to thecarrier side frame member 37. For the purpose of simplicity, only theconstructions of hanger member 33 and the carrier side frame member 36will be described in detail, it being understood that the constructionsof the members 34 and 37 are respectively similar. The constructions ofmembers 33 and 36 are best illustrated in FIGURES 3 through 7.

As best seen in FIGURES 6 and 7, the hanger member 33 includes a collarmember 44 having a bushing 45 which is mounted on the cross piece member35, a depending arm member 46 secured to the collar member 44 and abearing block 47 secured to the lower end of the depending arm member46. The block member 47 is provided with an opening 48, which is adaptedto receive therethrough a pin 49 having a threaded shank 50. The pin 49is provided with a head portion 51. Mounted on the pin member adjacentthe head portion 51 thereof is a locking plate 52. Threaded on the shankportion of the pin member is a locking nut 53.

As previously mentioned, the carrier side frame member 36 is elongatedand arcuate in shape. The side surfaces 54 and 55 are provided witharcuate slots 56 and 57. In addition, the front and rear surfaces 58 and59 are provided with slots 60 and 61. The slots 56, 57, 60 and 61 serveas guideways, as will hereinafter be described.

The slot 56 is adapted to receive the locking plate 52 therein. Theplate 52 is shaped so that the frame member 36 can be slid relativethereto, to adjust the position of the frame member 36. Also, the platemember 52 has a thickness slightly less than the depth of the slot 56,to permit the frame member 36 to slide freely on the plate member 52.The locking plate 52 is retained in the slot 56 by means of spacedretainer plates 62 and 63 which are secured by screws to the outer sideface 54 of the frame member 36. As best shown in FIGURES 3 and 6, thepin member 49 extends through the space provided between the retainerplate members 62 and 63 and is movable relatively along the lengths ofthe retainer plate members. The carrier side frame member 36 issupported on the hanger member 33 simply by tightening the nut member 53so that the bearing block member 57 abuts the retainer plate members 62and 63, and the locking plate 52 engages the retainer plate members, andthe nut member 53 engages the bearing block member 47 in clampingrelation. It will be appreciated that the position of the carrier sideframe member 36 relative to the hanger member 33 can be adjusted merelyby supporting the weight of the frame member 36, loosening the nutmember 53, sliding the frame member 36 to the desired position, andtightening the nut member 53. The upward movement of the frame member 36is limited by a stop bolt 64, disposed in the slot 56 which engages thebottom edge of the locking plate member 52.

The linking members 42 and 43 are substantially identical inconstruction. The linking member 42, as best seen in FIGURES 3 and 8,includes rod sections 65 and 66, having recessed ends 67 and 68 whichare pivotally secured together by means of a pin 69. As shown in FIG-URE 8, when the rod sections 65 and 66 are disposed in axial alignmentso that the portions 67 and 68 are in side by side relation, a collarmember 70 is adapted to be slid onto the portions 67 and 68 to lock therod sections 65 and 66 in axial alignment. To collapse the sections 65and 66, the collar member '70 is merely moved into the positionillustrated by the phantom lines 71 and also as illustrated in FIGURE 3.The end portion of the rod member 66 opposite the end including portion68, is provided with a ring member 72 which is mounted on the end of thebar member 40 to permit the rod section 66 to pivot on the bar member40. Similarly, the end portion of the rod section 65 remote from the endthereof, including 'portion 67, is provided with a ring member 73 whichis mounted on the cross piece member 41 to permit pivotal movement ofthe rod section 65 relative to the cross piece member 41. It will beappreciated that the side frame members 36 and 37 are supported by thehanger members 33 and 34 and the linking members 42 and 43. In the mostcommon operating position, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, the upper end ofthe side frame members 36 and 37 are clamped to the hanger members 33and 34, and the lower ends thereof are maintained in position by thelinking members 42 and 43, having the respective sections thereof lockedin axial alignment.

The radiant energy source device 14 includes a main body member 74 whichis substantially cylindrical in shape, carried on mounting assemblies 75and 76. The mounting assemblies 75 and 76 are subsantially identical inconstruction and are adapted to be mounted on the carrier side framemembers 36 and 37, as best illustrated in FIGURE 2. The detailedconstruction of the mounting assembly 75 is best illustrated in FIGURES3, 4 and 5. The assembly includes a substantially cylindrical member 77having an inner face 78 and an outer face 79. The inner face 78 isprovided with a circular recess 80, which is concentric with thecylindrical wall 81 and is adapted to receive and support therein areduced end portion 82 of the main body member 74 of the device. Theposition of the main body 74 of the device can be adjusted by rotatingthe same about its axis. The main body 74 can be locked into position bymeans of a set screw 83 which is threaded into an opening 84 of themember 81, and engages the reduced end portion 82 of the main bodymember 74.

The member 77 is provided with a pair of laterally projecting portions85 and 86, which are adapted to receive the side frame member 36therebetween. The width of the projecting portions 85 and 86 is slightlygreater than the lateral dimension of the side frame member 36, so thatwhen the member 77 is mounted on the side frame member 36, asillustrated in FIGURE 5, there will be a slight clearance betweenthe endface 79 of the member 77 and the side face 55 of the side frame member36. Similarly, the spacing between the opposed faces 87 and 88 of theprojecting portions 85 and 86 is slightly greater than the longitudinalwidth dimension of the side frame member 36, to permit clearance betweenthe rear face 59 of the side frame member and inward face 87 of the lugmember 85, and front face 58 of the side frame member and the face 88 ofthe projecting portion 86.

The opposed faces 87 and 88 of projecting portions 85 and 86 also areprovided with a pair of parallel slots or guideways 89 and 90 which areadapted to receive shoe plates 91 and 92. The shoe plates, as bestillustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, have surfaces 93 and 94 which engage thebottom walls 95 and 96 of the slots 61 and 60 of the side frame member36. The surfaces 93 and 94 of the shoe plates have contours similar tothe bottom walls 95 and 96 of the slots 61 and 60 of the side framemember. The thicknesses of the shoe plates 91 and 90 are slightly lessthan the dimensions between the bottom walls of slots 89 and 61, andbottom walls of slots 90 and 60, so that there will be some play betweenthe shoe plates 91 and 90, and the side frame member 36 and theprojecting lugs 85 and 86. The positions of the shoe plates 91 and 92can be adjusted by screws 97 threaded into openings in projectingportion 85, and engaging the shoe plate 91, and screws 98 threaded inopenings in project ing portion 86 and engaging the shoe plate 92. Itwill be appreciated that the mounting assembly 75 can be clamped to theside frame member 36 by means of a knob member 99 having a threadedshank portion 100 threaded into an opening in the projecting portion 86and engaging a shoe element 101, which in turn engages the shoe plate92.

The device 14 can be moved to any selected position along the length ofthe carrier assembly 13 merely by loosening the knob members 99, slidingthe device to the desired position, and again tightening the knobmembers 99 on the mounting assemblies 75 and 76.

In the operation of the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, thepatient is first placed on the patient support means 12. The supportassembly 12 is adjusted so that the body is in the desired position. Thebody then is strapped to the assembly. With the linking members lockedin position, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, the weight of thecarrier assembly is supported while the nut members 53 on the hangermembers 33 and 34 are loosened. The position of the side frame members36 and 37 then are positioned relative to the cross piece 35 so that thecarrier assembly is in a position suitable to train the radiant energysource device on the general area of the patient to be examined. Thelocking nuts 53 are then tightened to lock the side frame members 36 and37 into position. The device 14 then is placed in the desired positionby loosening the knob members 99 and moving the device 14 to the desiredposition along the length of the carrier assembly. When the device 14 isin the desired position, it is locked in place by means of the knobmembers 99. The final adjustment is made by loosening the set screws 83on the mounting members 75 and 76, to permit the main body member 74 ofthe device to be rotated about its axis. Once in position, the main bodymember 74 is locked by tightening the set screws 83. The apparatus thenis ready for examining the selected area of the patient.

It will be appreciated that the patient support assembly 12 can beadjusted along with the portion of the device 14, as previouslydescribed, either during a routine diagnosis of the patient, or duringdiagnosis taking place during a surgical operation. The patient may bemaintained in a selected attitude or may be examined while being passedthrough a sequence of attitudes, merely by operating the drive roller 17to rotate the frame assembly 11. Through the use of suitable controls,the rotation of the frame assembly 11 can be controlled both in startingand stopping the rotation, and regulating the speed thereof.

At any time, the carrier assembly 13 can be moved away from the patient,as when the operator desires access to the patient, merely by slidingthe locking collars 70 on the linking members 42 and 43 toward the crosspiece member 41 to collapse the linking members, swinging the assembly13 away from the patient, and securing the assembly in the positionillustrated by the phantom lines 102, in FIGURE 1. A hook member 103pivotally mounted on the cross piece member 25 is provided, whichengages the rod member 40 to retain the assembly 13 in the withdrawnposition.

The position of the assembly 13 relative to the patient support meansand the radius of curvature of the side frame members 36 and 37 areselected to provide an appropriate focal length for the device 14. Thedevice 14 can be of any conventional type used in X-ray or fluoroscopeexamination.

In order to obtain even further adjustment of the carrier assembly 13,an additional modification of the embodiment illustrated in the drawingsis contemplated, wherein the cross piece member 35 which carries theframe assembly is movable along the circular frame members 23 and 24 ofthe frame assembly 11. Suitable locking means also would be provided tolock the cross piece member 35 at the selected position of thecircumference of the frame assembly 11. Conceivably, the cross piecemember 41 to which the linking members 42 and 43 are operativelyconnected, can be made movable about the circumference of the frameassembly 11. Locking means for the cross piece member 41 also would beprovided.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be evident that thereare a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the presentinvention which come within the province of those skilled in the art.However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from thespirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof aslimited solely by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient comprising a support means,rotatable means mounted on said support means, patient support meansmounted on said rotatable means, carrier means pivotally mounted on saidrotatable means for pivotal movement in the plane of rotation of saidrotatable means, said carrier means being movable along a line of travelintersecting a line passing through the pivotal connection of saidcarrier means and said rotatable means, said lines lying in the plane ofrotation of said rotatable means, a radiant energy source mounted onsaid carrier means and means for locking said carrier means inpreselected positions along said line of travel at preselected angles.

2. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 1, whereinthe radiant energy source is movable along at least one predeterminedline of travel on said carrier means.

3. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 1, in whichsaid line of travel of the carrier member is arcuate, facing the patientsupport means.

4. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 1, whereinsaid line of travel of the carrier means is arcuate, facing the patientsupport means, and the radiant energy source is movable on the carriermeans along at least one predetermined line of travel.

5. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient comprising a support means, acircular frame member mounted on said support means for rotationsubstantially in a vertical plane, patient support means mounted on saidframe member, hanger means pivotally mounted on said frame member, acarrier member mounted for pivotal adjustment on said hanger means, saidcarrier means being movable relative to said hanger means along a lineof travel intersecting a line passing through the pivotal connection ofsaid hanger means and said frame member, said lines lying in a verticalplane, means for locking said carrier member to said hanger means inselected positions along said line of travel, linking meansinterconnecting said carrier member and said frame member and a radiantenergy source mounted on said carrier member.

6. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 5, whereinone end of the linking means is pivotally connected to the frame memberand the opposite end thereof is pivotally connected to the carriermember at a fixed point.

7. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 6, whereinthe linking means is collapsible.

8. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 5, whereinthe hanger means is mounted on the frame member for pivotal movement inthe plane of rotation of the frame member.

9. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 5, whereinthe radiant energy source is movable along at least one predeterminedline of travel on the carrier member.

10. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 5, whereinthe line of travel of said carrier member is arcuate.

11. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 10, whereinthe radiant energy source is movable along an arcuate line of travel andfaces the patient support means.

12. An apparatus for diagnosing a patient according to claim 5, whereinthe hanger means is mounted on the frame member for pivotal movement inthe plane of rotation of the frame member, the line of travel of thecarrier member is arcuate, the radiant energy source is movable along anarcuate line of travel disposed substantially parallel to the arcuateline of travel of the carrier means, one end of the linking means ispivotally connected to the frame member and the opposite end thereof ispivotally connected to the carrier member at a fixed point and thelinking means is collapsible.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,141,972 7/1964 Oller 250 S. C.SHEAR, Assistant Examiner.

RALPH G. NILSON, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 25057, 91, 55

